Imran promises ‘Plan C’ shocker on Feb 8
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday claimed he had a “Plan C” for the upcoming general elections, saying that the party would give a shocker on the voting day on Feb 8 and that the opponents were afraid of it.
Talking to the media at Adiala Jail, during a hearing of his case, Imran said that the chief justice was a Muslim and Islam says that nobody should hate enemies to the extent that that one could not practice justice.
He added that he had no faith in the justice system, urging live broadcast of his case. “Democracy is being trampled under the [so-called] London Plan. Despite the start of the election campaigning, [PTI] people are being picked up. Women and children were put in jails over the May 9 incidents. The May 9 [riots] are part of the London Plan,” he said.
Recalling the riots at the Capitol Hill in Washington in 2021, Imran said those who were involved in the attacks were caught through the CCTV footage. But here, he added, the CCTV footage of the Corps Commander’s House, Islamabad High Court (IHC) and General Headquarters (GHQ) attacks had been “stolen”.
Read PTI’s 'Plan B' unravels as PTI-N dispute over electoral symbol emerges
“People are not fools, they know who has the resources to steal the footage,” Imran said. He insisted that he never did nothing against the army not even after bullets were fired at him. He again demanded that there should be an independent inquiry into the events of May 9.
The former premier told reporters that the PTI supporters were being kidnapped and tortured and if they did not budge, “they are sent to the ICU [intensive care units]”. The first and second-tier leadership of the PTI had been taken out, he added.
Imran charged that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the police, and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were all part of the London plan.
“Our election symbol has been taken away. We have a Plan C and on Feb 8, we are going to give them a shocker. People cannot be stopped.”
Imran told reporters that following the removal of his government through a no-confidence motion in April 2022, he spoke with the then chief of army staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and told him that free and fair elections were the solution to the problems.
Imran claimed that now Gen (retd) Bajwa had told him that he should become a “good slave” and not speak about the cipher, otherwise there would be a plethora of lawsuits against him. “Is it treason to expose a plot to overthrow the government,” he asked.
Read SC is executing London Plan: Imran
On the prevailing economic situation, Imran stressed that the country could get out of this morass only through investment, which would not come without political stability. He said that there were 10 million Pakistanis abroad whose investment could make this country stable.
When asked about not giving the PTI ticket to its ally Sheikh Rashid, Imran acknowledged that the Awami Muslim League (AML) president gave “a great support” to him and his party, but stressed that there was pressure from the party that tickets could not be given to those who held news conferences.
The former prime minister said that neither he nor his wife, Bushra Bibi had any contacts with anyone in powerful circles.
He also criticised the chief election commissioner, saying that the ECP failed to conduct the elections within the 90-day timeframe. About the election campaign of his party, Imran said: “Now, there are reports that our candidates are not even allowed to put the picture of prisoner number 804 on their campaign posters.”
In response to a question, he added, Gen (retd) Bajwa had stabbed him in the back, and not the vice versa.